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This is a super healthy and really tasty green smoothie recipe. The green comes from fresh spinach and the sweetness from banana, strawberries and coconut water.

While we know it is important to eat lots of greens, many of us don’t eat enough of them and some of us just don’t like the taste at all. Green smoothies are an excellent way to consume leafy green vegetables, because the sometimes bitter taste is neutralized by the fruit.

This smoothie is sweet and nutty, with just a hint of vanilla. It provides potassium, provitamin A and vitamins C, E and K (to name a few), as well as biotin. It’s also extremely hydrating, restores electrolytes and is antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory.

Method

Step 1

In a blender, combine coconut water, banana, strawberries, almond butter, spinach and vanilla. Blend at high speed until smooth.

Step 2

Serve immediately.

Makes about 2 cups.

Juice Guru’s Tips:

As you get accustomed to the pleasing taste of greens in your smoothie, we recommend increasing the amount of spinach to 2-3 cups (500-750 mL), which will amp up the nutritional value.

We recommend using alcohol-free extracts whenever possible, because alcohol is not part of a healthy diet. However, we do understand that only a small amount is used in extracts (to preserve the product), so choose whichever brand works best for you. We recommend using organic products to reduce your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

Herbal Helper

Vanilla gives your smoothie a creamy, delicious taste, but did you know it also may help to prevent cancer? Recent evidence published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry indicates that vanillin, a compound found in vanilla, has been shown to suppress cancer cell migration and metastasis, although its mechanism of action is unknown. More studies are needed, but this does sound promising.

I like this book because it not only give me lots of wonderful juicing recipes, using both fruits and vegetables, it also has a huge section at the front that talks about kinds of juicers and how they work, why juicing is so healthy for you and how their plan works. It’s a good read and good information for those of us intent on improving our health.